Pan American World Airways facts for kids
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| Founded | March 1927 |
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| Commenced operations | October 1927 |
| Ceased operations | December 1991 |
| Hubs | New York, Miami, Frankfurt, London/Heathrow, Tokyo/Narita |
| Focus cities | Several |
| Frequent-flyer program | WorldPass |
| Airport lounge | Clipper Club |
| Fleet size | 152 (in 1990) |
| Destinations | all 6 continents |
| Company slogan | Every Country Has An Airline. The World Has Pan Am. |
| Parent company | Pan Am Corporation |
| Headquarters | New York City (until 1980) |
| Key people | Juan Trippe |
| Website | http://www.panam.com/ |
Pan American World Airways, often called Pan Am, was once a very famous airline in the USA. It was one of the biggest airlines in the world. Pan Am stopped flying in 1991 due to many problems, including a tragic plane crash.
Contents
Pan Am's Early Days
Pan Am started in 1926. Its first flights were from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba. These flights began in October 1927.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Pan Am grew a lot. It bought many smaller airlines in Central America and South America. This helped Pan Am offer flights all over North and South America.
Flying Around the World
In 1942, Pan Am made history. It became the first airline to fly all the way around the world. This is called circumnavigating the world.
By the 1950s, Pan Am used large airplanes. These included the Boeing 377, Douglas DC-6, and Lockheed Constellation. Pan Am flew to cities across the globe.
The Jet Age
In 1959, Pan Am got its first jet airplane. It was a Boeing 707. Jets were much faster than older propeller planes.
In 1970, Pan Am introduced an even bigger jet. This was the Boeing 747, known as a "widebody" jet. It could carry many more passengers.
Challenges and End of Flights
In 1980, Pan Am joined with National Airlines. Pan Am wanted to offer flights within the USA, called "domestic flights." Before this, the government did not allow Pan Am to do so. By buying National, Pan Am could finally fly to cities all over America.
However, Pan Am started having big money problems in the 1980s. They paid too much to buy National Airlines. They also spent a lot on the new Boeing 747s. The Gulf War also caused problems for their flights across the Atlantic Ocean.
Pan Am declared bankruptcy in January 1991. This means they could no longer pay their debts. Delta Air Lines tried to help by buying some parts of Pan Am. But on December 4, 1991, Pan Am stopped flying for good.
After Pan Am closed, other airlines took over its routes. United Airlines got many of Pan Am's old flights. American Airlines took over Pan Am's main base, or "hub," in Miami. Pan Am was briefly restarted twice in 1996 and 1998, but it did not last.
Images for kids
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Flown cover autographed by pilot Cy Caldwell and carried from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, on the first contract airmail flight operated by Pan American Airways, October 19, 1927
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"Birthplace of Pan American World Airways", Key West, Florida
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PAA routes as of 1936
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1941 advertising mailer for Pan Am's "Flying Clipper Cruises" to South America
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PAA's China Clipper service cut the time of a transpacific crossing from as much as six weeks by sea to just six days by air.
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Stamps issued by the United States and Philippine Islands for Air Mail carried on the first flights in each direction of PAA's Transpacific "China Clipper" service between San Francisco, California, and Manila, Philippines. (November 22 – December 6, 1935)
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Flown cover carried around the world on PAA Boeing 314 Clippers and by Imperial Airways, June 24 – July 28, 1939
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Pan Am Lockheed L-049 Constellation Clipper Great Republic at London Heathrow
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Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Clipper Seven Seas at London Heathrow in 1954
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Pan American DC-4 at Piarco Airport, Trinidad in the 1950s
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A Boeing 707-120 at the Pan Am Worldport in 1961. The terminal was once the center of the airline's New York operations; it was transferred to Delta Air Lines in 1991, and demolished by Delta and the Port Authority in 2013.
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Douglas DC-8-32 of Pan American at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 1967
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Boeing 747-100 Clipper Neptune's Car (N742PA) at Zurich Airport
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The Pan Am Building in Midtown Manhattan, now the MetLife Building, was Pan Am headquarters
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Pan Am Holiday pamphlet for destination New Zealand (1966)
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Pan American Douglas DC-6B operating an Internal German Service at Hanover Airport in May 1964.
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Pan Am Boeing 747-100 ("Clipper Star of the Union") at John F. Kennedy Airport in May 1973
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A Pan Am flight attendant in 1970s uniform
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Clipper Spreeathen at Zurich in 1985
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Clipper Miles Standish (N805PA), an Airbus A310
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Clipper Sparking Wave (N741PA), a Boeing 747-100 on short final into Berlin Tempelhof Airport, wearing Pan Am's final "billboard" style livery
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ATR 42 (N4209G) of Pan Am Express at Sylt Airport, 1991
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Pan Am Clipper Guilford (N342PA), Boeing 727-200
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A former Maine Central boxcar painted in the new Pan Am Railways livery in 2005
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A Pan Am ballcap.
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The Sikorsky S-42 was one of Pan Am's earlier flying boats and was used to survey the San Francisco – China route.
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See also
In Spanish: Pan Am para niños
